The Animals Were Gone
by marybr
Summary: LL are both single again. Will they ever be able to overcome all the mess behind them and become a couple again? There are issues for sure, and they need to be dealt with in order to achieve some sort of progress. My attempt at a reconciliation piece.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One 

It was a hot Saturday morning, and Luke headed upstairs to his apartment to grab the screwdriver. He needed the tool to fix the oven... again. _That damn oven._ He was in a hurry, the place was packed, so he made his way up two steps at time. Upon his arrival at his place he went straight ahead to the closet, the place he kept his toolbox. When he opened it, he immediately saw it. The box. Her box. _Stupid box, _he thought.

He still vividly remembers the day he put the box together. Lorelai told him she had slept with Christopher, he went to the guy's place, punched him, and drove back home. He made it upstairs to think, but all he seemed to do was bump into her stuff. He opened his drawer and found her sweater, he went to his bathroom and saw her purple toothbrush neatly placed on her shelf – the one he built especially for her – he opened his fridge and saw the 2 milk carton, which he bought for her, and for her only, 'cause he couldn't care less about the variety of milks out there. B.L., that's "Before Lorelai", he bought the cheapest and that was that. But a.L., he paid attention to the details, he always wanted to please her. Anyhow, everywhere he turned... she was there. _That's it!_ He went downstairs to the diner, grabbed an empty box from the storage room, and rushed back to his place.

He started grabbing everything and placing, no, throwing it into the box. The sweater, the toothbrush, the shampoo bottle... At that moment he couldn't fight the urge, he opened the bottle and inhaled the scent, her scent, that familiar vanilla, soapy smell that he liked so much. He remembered the feel of her hair through his fingers, how at night her locks brushed gently in his nose liberating the oh-so-good aroma. He pressed his eyes closed and put the bottle inside the box as well, the nostalgic feeling brought with it anger, and Luke wound up slamming her shelf. It broke in half, completely ruined it, but at least he got a second of satisfaction out of it. Not as much as punching him, but enjoyable nonetheless.

After half an hour of putting away cd's, books, a few items of clothing, and every other trace of her presence there, he closed the box and put it in his closet. He'd give it to her when he wasn't this upset. She dated the other guy, married him, and separated – not that she took long to go through all the phases aforementioned – but he still hadn't summed up the guts to do as planned. Not that he was still that upset. He just kept putting it off, and when he realized time took his tomorrows and turned them into yesterdays.

_This is ridiculous, _he thought back in the present. It was going to be now rather than later. He was going to her house and give her the damn box. He was fueled with determination, maybe it was the heat, but he wasn't going to put it off any longer. He grabbed the box violently and made it downstairs through the diner.

"Caesar, gotta run an errand. Be back in a few," he said quickly.

"Sure, boss!" Caesar replied from the kitchen.

He got in the car, placed the box on the passenger's seat, and headed towards her house as fast as Taylor's stupid speed limits allowed him. _Stupid Taylor_. It didn't take long to arrive at her place, that's a plus when you live in small towns. He parked in her front lawn and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. _One last thing before I go._ He took out his wallet from his back pocket, opened it, and retrieved a small, worn, old piece of folded paper from one of the wallet's compartments. It was the horoscope. Their horoscope. _Some luck it brought me, huh? _He unfolded the tiny piece of paper, and took the time to read the words she had written so many years ago, for one last time. He shook his head, not really sure if he did so out of sadness for what he, they've lost, or out of fondness for what they've once had, for what they've once shared.

He chased those thoughts away and threw the last memento into the box. It landed next to the blue baseball cap. His cap. His old cap. He made sure to replace the damn thing, it kept taunting him, reminding him of her every single day. He couldn't have that. He already did that job all by himself, the last thing he needed was something to lend a hand. He had a new one anyway. It sure didn't fit perfectly like the previous one, but he was getting used to it. It was black. It suited much better the current him.

He took the box under his right arm, opened the truck door, and got out. He used his other arm to shut the door closed, it slammed a little harder than he had planned. He put it on his nervousness' account. He took a deep breath and strode confidently towards her house, he climbed the porch steps one by one, and made it to her door. It took a few seconds until he mustered the courage to knock, but he had made this far, he wasn't going to back down now.

He knocked firmly but not too hard, he learned a lesson of self-control with the car door slamming issue moments earlier. He looked at his watch, he knew her all too well. She was no early bird. But it wasn't too early, she should be up. And as on cue he heard footsteps towards the front door. The heat wasn't helping, he felt his face burning up, and his heart began to race. _Here we go._

She opened the door and the first thing he noticed was her eyes. He always thought that her eyes were unbelievably gorgeous. He missed them, every since their break-up they haven't seen each other much. Anyhow, that wasn't his point, he needed to get a hold of himself. He noticed that she was surprised, there were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence – which felt like ten minutes to both of them – but she regained conscious and broke it.

"Hi... Luke," was all she could muster while tucking a strand of lose hair behind her ear.

TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: The Animals Were Gone

**Author**: marybr (myself)

**Pairing**: Luke/Lorelai (what else?)

**Chapters**: 2/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters, blah, blah, blah... Let's be honest, if I did I wouldn't have wasted all that precious screentime on Lorelai and Christopher.

**Summary**: Lorelai ended her "marriage". Now she's single again, and Luke is also single. Can they work through the issues that led to their break-up? Can they face the consequences of their actions? Will they ever be able to overcome all the mess behind them, and become a couple again? 'Cause we all know that everything that happened, the whole situation was pretty intense. It can't all be solved magically. There are issues for sure, and they need to be dealt with in order to achieve some sort of progress. Yes, it's all messed-up. So, here's my attempt at a reconciliation piece.

**Obs**.: This is my first shot at writing a fan-fic, but I needed some sort of satisfaction when it came to this particular couple. So, I decided to seek it for myself, and wound up with this fic. Give it a chance, and please, go easy on me :)

**A/N**: For those who noted (if anyone did), yes. The fic got its title from a Damien Rice song. I absolutely adore him. And even though this is not a song-fic, I thought it fitted the circumstances quite well. Also, English isn't my first language. I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Without further ado, I give you the second chapter. I hope you like it. And don't worry, the other chapters will be longer. Reviews are always appreciated (**Mandy**, I'll be waiting for that love you promised, ok? lol). Thanks to those who reviewed :)

Chapter Two 

"Hey," he replied in a bit.

They were both just standing there. Luke in front of her door and Lorelai on her doorway. He was balancing the box on his right hip trying to compensate the weight by leaning on his left leg.

"So..." she said, fishing for the motive behind his sudden appearance.

"I'm sorry to drop by unannounced, but this won't take long, I promise. I'm here to give you this..." he handed her the box.

"I know it's way long overdue, but I thought you should have it," he continued, looking straight into her eyes.

Tension was in the air. They didn't mean to generate it, but everytime they met lately, there it was. So thick that you could cut it with a knife. She grabbed the box with her left arm and opened it with her right hand to see what was in it. She took a glimpse at the content and she knew what it was. Her stuff.

"Oh..." was all she could say, 'cause frankly his gesture stung her.

He thought he saw hurt in her eyes, but he look quickly the other way. If she was or wasn't hurt it wasn't his concern... not anymore, anyway. It was just a habit for him to pick up on those things, one that he would have to learn to suppress. Even if it was hard.

"Yeah. I just came by to drop this off. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing now, ok? I gotta get back to the diner... Bye." He said heading to his truck in a hurry to get this over with, it was awkward enough as it was.

She was still looking through the stuff in the box when she saw the blue baseball cap. She was taken over by an irrational and sudden anger. _How can he give this back to me?! How dare him?! It was a gift._

"Hey, Luke! Wait!" she said in a higher tone of voice.

He stopped on his tracks near his truck and turned around. She had made her way quickly down the porch stairs. And she was wearing an annoyed look on her face.

"Something wrong?" he asked nervous all of a sudden.

She grabbed the cap out of the box and placed the latter on the ground.

"Why are you giving me back this? It was a gift. You... you... don't return gifts, Luke! People give gifts with the intent that the other person will keep them, and use them, and cherish them. Not that the person will return them. It's not right. Don't you know that?!" she ranted angrily, waving the item in question in front of him.

"Well, I don't want it anymore!" he said angry himself.

She took one quick look at the new baseball cap he was flaunting around lately and she was even more mad, if that's possible.

"Okay, you don't want it anymore? Fine!" she said throwing the cap near the box.

"I have something for you as well. Wait here, I'll go and get it. It won't take long" she added.

She went to her house and came back indeed fast.

"Here. Take it," she said, stretching her arm to him with the palm up and open.

There, in the center of her palm, was the ring. Their engagement ring. It shined as a sunbeam hit the diamond. Luke couldn't believe what he was seeing. _How can she give this back to me?! How dare her?! It was the symbol of our union! And, thinking of it, she was probably still wearing it while she... slept... with him! _He was beyond mad now, he was pissed. She saw the disappointment right in his eyes, and it made her feel bad. His hurt hurt her as well. 'Cause she had a pretty good idea of what was going through his brain. She knew that thoughts about that night would be always on his brain as long as she was the one he was talking to.

"I don't want it!" he yelled.

"Neither do I!" she said matching his tone.

"Well, then... trash it! Sell it, donate to the poor, throw into the lake... whatever. See if I care! But I'll never, ever, take that thing back! Never!" he yelled even louder.

And like that he got into his truck and drove off, leaving a drained Lorelai behind. She put the ring in the box, her box, and picked up the blue baseball cap from the floor and threw in there too. That's when she saw it. The tiny, old, worn piece of paper. Their horoscope. She retrieved the item from inside of the box, unfolded and took the time to read the words she, herself, had written so many years ago, one more time. She shook her head feeling a mixture of happiness and sadness. _And the hits just keep on coming._ She folded again and tucked the old piece of paper in her front jeans pocket. She didn't realize, but a single tear had rolled down her cheek.

She picked her box from the floor, put under her right arm, and headed to her house walking very slowly. Then she wiped the tear with her sleeve with a heavy sigh.

TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: The Animals Were Gone

**Author**: marybr (myself)

**Pairing**: Luke/Lorelai (what else?)

**Chapters**: 3/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters, blah, blah, blah... Let's be honest, if I did I wouldn't have wasted all that precious screentime on Lorelai and Christopher.

**Summary**: Lorelai ended her "marriage". Now she's single again, and Luke is also single. Can they work through the issues that led to their break-up? Can they face the consequences of their actions? Will they ever be able to overcome all the mess behind them, and become a couple again? 'Cause we all know that everything that happened, the whole situation was pretty intense. It can't all be solved magically. There are issues for sure, and they need to be dealt with in order to achieve some sort of progress. Yes, it's all messed-up. So, here's my attempt at a reconciliation piece.

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! The more reviews, the more I feel psyched to update. Talking about update, it'll take a while longer for the next one. But I'm making up to you guys by posting a substantially longer chapter. I have a Legal Medicine exam coming up, and all my time is getting consumed by studying. So much to memorize, and yet, so little space left in my brain :) Plus, I signed up for Law University, not Med University. But, of course, I _had_ to have a subject that only dealt with medical/legal stuff. It's interesting, I admit it, but it's also really gross to have to look at _certain_ photos. Like past class, the Professor just _had _to show us this _swell_ slide show with a bunch of oh-so-graphic pictures, such as one of a guy with an axe shoved right in his face (and this was one of the lightest of the set). Jeez! I had just eaten breakfast, for Pete's sakes! Ok, rant over (lol). Sorry about that...

Anyway, I hear you guys... It's sad right now, I know. But the situation is really complicated, it doesn't have an easy way out. What happened was _pretty _ugly. So, that being said, it'll have to get worse to get better. Just hang tight. And about Luke being a tad harsh, come on! You guys know what took place at that horrendous night. I think the guy is a little entitled to be a _teeny tiny_ angry.

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I was very happy with how it turned out. Let me know what you think, ok:)**

Chapter Three 

That same late afternoon, Lorelai was driving home after spending the whole day working hard at the Inn. During the day all she could think about was her intense meeting with Luke that morning. It really shook her up. All those feelings... everything she tried so hard to tuck away and not to think about, came right to surface. And she felt like she had so much more to say, to vent, you know? Plus, that damn heat was making everything worst. It only helped the uneasiness she felt.

As she was passing Weston's in her Jeep, the rain began to fall. It came rather unexpectedly, and it came down really hard. It had been so hot during the day that the rain pouring down was only a matter of time. Lorelai continued driving and enjoyed the newfound coolness of the air. It was fresher and soothing. Suddenly, she stopped on the traffic light in front of Luke's, 'cause it turned red the moment she approached. _Murphy's Laws: always on my side._ There was no traffic whatsoever, not a single soul was even near the town square. The rain was so strong that everyone went home looking for a shield. But she had to oblige by the law. Taylor already gave her several warnings. The last thing she needed was one more ticket. _Stupid Taylor._

She sat there on her car, waiting aimlessly to get a green light when she finally decided to glance at Luke's. She hasn't gone there since their break-up. She missed it. It was so very much a part of her daily routine for several years. But it was necessary, she told herself then. Much more painless, for her... and for him, too. She remembered his words. _"You go back to be Lorelai Gilmore, and I go back to being the guy who pours your coffee"_. That hurt her. Deeper than she thought it was possible. How could he think that? He never was _just_ the guy who poured her coffee, even before they were romantically involved. Come on, it was _Luke_. Luke! They were friends, close friends... best friends, one might say. And that was a lot. She couldn't believe he could have possibly dismissed that. She couldn't believe she had hurt him so bad that it even made him question their friendship. And the way he said _"Lorelai Gilmore"_ full of sadness and like she was superior to him, or something; and he was just some poor ol' schlub she made the charity to date. Yeah, she hurt him. She hurt him _bad_... but so did he. He truly hurt her, too. So, there was no point going back to the diner. At that moment in the market, she never mustered up the guts to tell him how wrong he was. She just returned home and cried on Rory's shoulder. She was too taken aback by what he said. The least she could do, she figured, was not going back to Luke's to try to prove him wrong somehow.

As she was looking at his diner, the man himself showed up at the front window to check out the rain. There was only him there, the rain had scared out the customers. So, Luke let Caesar go for the rest of the day. They finally caught each other's eyes in surprise, and locked into a long stare.

He had spent the whole day also thinking of her. He wasn't satisfied with how they left things off. There was so much more he had to say, to vent, you know? He didn't mean to fight. That was not why he went to see her. He wasn't mad at her... not anymore, anyway. Maybe there was still a little resentment, but that's all. He knew he played a part in the break-up, too. He had tucked all those feelings aside, and when they met that morning it brought each one of them back to surface. Plus, that damn heat was really making matters worst, he felt like he'd explode at any second. When the rain came down a couple of minutes ago, he felt relief. Even though it scared the customers away. In fact, he could use the break. He went to the window to watch the rain fall, that's when he saw her Jeep stopped at the red light. Then, the next thing he saw, was the woman inside.

Both could see the urgency in the other's eyes, and deep down there, they saw a nuance of understanding as well. They knew how mixed-up this whole thing was. That was when Luke decided that they should have it. Clear the air, talk, whatever. It couldn't go any longer like it was. He knew he had things to say, many things that were bottled up inside of him. And judging by the look in her eyes, he could tell that the same thing applied to her, too. Plus, there was no one near at sight, which was extremely unusual for Stars Hollow. It was the perfect opportunity. _Screw the rain!_

Without thinking any longer, he opened the diner's door and headed to her car. She was caught off guard when she saw him coming towards her in the rain. But at the same time she was glad they'd have the chance to say whatever needed to be said. Luke could hear the loud splash sound as his feet hit the wet pavement. The rain was so torrential that in seconds out there he was completely soaked. He was no Lloyd Dobler, but this sure seemed like his baptism. His heart was racing, and he found it odd that it seemed to be in sync with his rushed steps. He finally reached her car. The light had turned green for quite a while now, but neither really cared. He knocked on her window, and motioned for her to roll it down. She obliged.

"Hey, I think we need to talk," he said calmly without missing a bit.

"Yeah, I agree. Now hop in, you'll get sick. Are you crazy? You're soaked," she said genuinely concerned.

"No, I rather stay here... But thank you. Like you said, I'm already soaked. At this point it's best if I stay in the rain. If I get in the car I'll start to feel that uneasy wet feeling, you know? I'm fine... really," he said honestly, rubbing some water off of his eyes.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to get all..." he continued, searching for the right words.

"Me too, me too... The last thing I wanted was to start a fight. Well, not the last. The real last thing I wanted was to shave my head and join rehab, but not wanting to fight came as a close second," she joked with a light, shy smile.

"You slept with Christopher, Lorelai," he said quickly and bluntly, ignoring her attempt to lighten the mood. There was no need to keep beating around the bush.

"I guess we're going straight to business then," she said more to herself than to him, after she got taken aback by his straight-forwardness.

"You slept with him after our engagement was supposedly over. I mean, how long did it take for you to run to him? Fifteen minutes? Twenty, maybe?" he asked, starting to get worked up.

Ok, maybe he didn't think this whole let's-put-all-in-the-open thing through. He barely started talking and he was already worked up. He hated to get like this. All emotional and stuff. So, he turned his back on her, and headed towards a bench at the town square.

Lorelai couldn't believe what she was seeing. She got out of her car, and was immediately welcomed by the pouring rain. She hurried to where he was now seating.

"Hey! Where are you going? You wanted to do this, now that you started let's finish it!" she said, louder than she had intended to.

"Yes! I slept with Christopher. But it was definitely over between us. I mean, I gave you the choice Luke. I asked you to marry me right then, and -- as much as it hurt me -- you said 'no'. So, I was feeling lousy and I turned to Chris..." she said.

"But you didn't even gave me time to think, Lorelai..." he cut her off.

"Jeez! You came by, sprung all those emotions that you had been bottling for quite awhile on me, and you just expected me to do what? I was happy, and I thought you were, too. I was blindsided, I didn't even know that you were feeling bad at all!" he continued, getting up from the bench.

"That's right! You didn't even notice how awful I was with the whole situation. You weren't noticing me at all at the time, Luke!" she said, practically talking with her hands.

"You could have told me. You should have told me! I don't have a crystal ball, and I can't read minds, you know?" he offered sarcastically.

"No, you can't," she played along ironically.

"But we were always able to tell when the other wasn't feeling ok. That's one of the things that made us so special. We got each other's moods," she added.

"Well, I'm sorry if I can't be perfect all the time. I'm sorry that I didn't pick up that you were feeling lousy. I'm sorry that I couldn't be every little thing you wanted, Lorelai," he said bitterly.

"Don't do that! Don't be all condescending," she said, shaking her head.

"You shut me out. You refused to let me in, all I wanted was to be a part of your life... and April's life. But every time I tried you shut the door on my face. After you said 'no' so deliberately to my face, I kinda got the hint that you didn't really want me in your life," she said.

"Oh, do you really believe that? I mean, really? Or is that just some argument that you chose to rationalize your actions? Ok, maybe you really thought that it was over between us. I get that. But even if it was over, you sure didn't waste any time mourning the loss of our failed engagement, did you?" he threw that again in her face.

"I mean, you of all people... After what happened with Nicole... I would never, ever expect that from you," he continued.

"I get it, ok?" she said, hurt by the weight of his words.

"That wasn't one of my proudest moments. I was wrong, it was a relapse. I wanted a friendly shoulder and he was there for me, he -- at least -- wanted me. And I got carried away by that thought. I shouldn't have. We all know that now, after all, see how that turned out," she said sadly.

"That's another thing. As if it wasn't enough sleeping with the guy, you went ahead and got married to him," he let out a cunning laugh.

"I'll tell you... it felt like a slap in the face how quickly you managed to put us behind. I mean, I still remember the day I saw the wedding band on your finger at the hospital..." he added, the laugh substituted by a sad expression.

"But it was you, Luke! You were the one who passed on me. How do you think you made me feel when you excluded me from your life with April? I know that Anna didn't want to have me around her kid. But she is your kid, too, Luke! You could have fought for us. If you truly believed that we were 'it', you wouldn't let Anna dictate all the rules," she tried.

"I mean, that only showed me that you didn't have faith in us. I was ready for my life to begin, you know. I was ready to be a solid couple. I was ready to get married and have kids. I couldn't wait any longer. It was like every day I lost a day of the life I really wanted to be leading. And it became clearer each day that you weren't willing to share that life with me, so I came right out and asked you. I asked you. I wanted you. But I got the impression that you didn't want me. And that impression was cemented when you said 'no'. So, when I saw Chris standing there, ready and willing to give me what I wanted, I'm sorry, but I had to say 'yes'. I had to try to chase my own happiness, since you weren't willing to chase it with me!" she said quickly, and found herself gasping for air.

Luke was touched by what she just said. He knew he played a part in their break-up, but one thing was thinking about it, and other was hearing it from her own mouth. It hurt him to know that he hurt her. That he was unable to give her what she wanted. And the sad thing is... that he really wanted that too. But he got scared, and by doing so he lost his chance.

"And for that, I am truly sorry. I never meant to make you doubt... how I felt... for you," he said gently, seating down on the bench from emotional exhaustion.

She sat next to him. They stayed like time for a couple of minutes in utter silence.

"For what it's worth..." she broke the uncomfortable -- and yet comfortable -- silence.

She tried hard to find the courage to say what she wanted to say next.

"I... I... really loved you," she looked down and said.

"Yeah... I loved you, too," he added, placing his hands on his knees, and looking straight ahead.

Another moment of silence.

"Don't you find it scary?" she asked, turning her head and looking him straight in the eyes.

"What?" he asked, still looking ahead.

"Sometimes... love really isn't enough," she handed, still trying to catch his gaze.

He turned around, looked her in the eyes, and nodded.

"You know what's sad?" he asked, still looking her in the eye.

She shook her head.

"Wanting back a second. Every day I wish I could go back to that fateful day in front of the diner, and do things differently. I wish I could go back and say 'yes'. Everything would be different. I'd give anything to have that second again. The saddest thing in life is this yearning... this yearning for a second lost," he more pondered than said.

"I'd do things differently, too" she said, deviating her eyes from his.

"The next day. I went to you the next day... If you had not... We would be... I guess it's no use dwelling over all this now. But I just can't help but wonder," he said, shifting uncomfortable.

"It was not dignified. The way we ended. It was not dignified. And for that I am truly sorry. Mea culpa. I didn't have the courtesy to come to you and say it was over before... moving on with my life. I screwed up, I know. I mean, what we had... what we shared... I want you to know that I cherished it. It was beautiful, special and... magical, but I tainted it," she let it out with teary eyes.

Another moment of silence. This was hard... for both of them.

"It wasn't just your fault. But what gets to me..." he tried.

"What really gets to me is that you actually married him. You were leading with him the life we were supposed to lead, in the house we remodeled together, you know? And the thing is... I couldn't in a million years even picture myself with another woman, let alone marry another. To me it's you, or no one else... It has always been you all along, Lorelai. But you... you really did it. You married someone else," he continued, letting it all out.

He wasn't afraid of putting himself out there, he wasn't afraid of really letting her know his feelings. And in the past, he would never do that. Fear of the other person's response always stopped him. But now he was already too wounded, he didn't think it could get any worse than it already was.

The resentment in his voice got to Lorelai, and she feared she would break down right there. _Meltdown in the park: the sequel._

"Oh, Luke... The truth is that the life Chris and I were leading was all a lie. I wasn't prepared for it, it was all too fresh... you know. The feelings I had for you were... Well, we can't get rid of feelings from one day to another. I was only deluding myself. And as much as I tried... he wasn't the one for me. He never was, and there was no point in dragging the situation any longer. It wasn't fair to him, or to me. Our marriage never seemed right. That's why it ended," she said.

"But that... your attempt at a new life with him -- of all people – broke my heart. You. Broke. My. Heart." he said louder, hitting strongly every syllable of these last four words.

Hearing that, the sadness in his tone. The intensity of his last statement... She wanted to run away from there... but she didn't. She stuck. And then she let it out too.

"You really broke mine, too," she confessed, with a gentle tone.

Silence fell upon them as what they said sank in for one another. This time Luke was the one who broke it. He was calmer now.

"Things change. I know that now, or maybe I always did... I don't know... But I never believed that people ever change. Not about anything that really matters. I do believe though that we learn, we learn from life and from what we go through. You know, I will never change. And I fear the things that made you leave once... will always make..." he was stating, when she cut him.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"That we're better of... unfettered?" she added, with sadness showing through her tone.

She caught him by surprise with that question. He hadn't concluded his line of thought yet.

"I... believe so," he concluded disappointed.

They stared at each other. By now, the rain had stopped. It went away a couple of minutes ago, not that either one of the two really noticed. The square had now a few people walking by. Luke started to feel uncomfortable with that.

"I should probably, uh, get back to..." he said, looking at her and pointing to the diner.

"Oh... yeah," she said awkwardly.

He got up, and she followed quickly. They started heading back to the diner, and the Jeep. They reached the car first. She opened the door and got in, he closed it behind her. They stared into each other's eyes with some sort of serene sadness.

"I hope to see you at the diner," he said sincerely, breaking the silence.

She nodded, offering him a somewhat forced smile, and turned on the engine. He backed away from the car, and started to walk towards the diner as she began to drive off.

"Hey, Luke!" she said through the window, after stopping the car all of a sudden.

He stopped, and turned around.

"Friends?" she asked expectantly.

"Always," he replied, with a shy but honest smile.

She returned the same smile... and finally drove home.

He watched her car go away -- with a lost pair of eyes -- until it couldn't be seen any longer from where he stood. He stayed like that for a few more seconds, and then resumed his walk back to Luke's. _Alone again... naturally._

TBC 

**A/N: **It'd be wicked if I ended this fic right here, huh? But don't worry, I'm not a sadistic person; in other words, I'm not AS-P. You'll get what you're waiting for...


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: The Animals Were Gone

**Author**: marybr (myself)

**Pairing**: Luke/Lorelai (what else?)

**Chapters**: 4/4

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters, blah, blah, blah... Let's be honest, if I did I wouldn't have wasted all that precious screentime on Lorelai and Christopher.

**Summary**: Lorelai ended her "marriage". Now she's single again, and Luke is also single. Can they work through the issues that led to their break-up? Can they face the consequences of their actions? Will they ever be able to overcome all the mess behind them, and become a couple again? 'Cause we all know that everything that happened, the whole situation was pretty intense. It can't all be solved magically. There are issues for sure, and they need to be dealt with in order to achieve some sort of progress. Yes, it's all messed-up. So, here's my attempt at a reconciliation piece.

**A/N: **Thanks again for all the reviews! I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but life is very hectic right now (and was acting up on me yesterday and didn't let me post). I'm juggling too many things, and that's why I have to cut this story short. I had a few more chapters in mind but I just don't have the time to put them down on writing. So, I'm posting the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, I know I did writing this. I'm very happy with how it turned out. Anyhow, thanks again for all the support, and let me know what you think :)

**Chapter Four**

Lorelai turned off the living room tv. She had just indulged herself by watching a movie. And now she was filled with that well known depression post movie, which she called DPM. You know, DPM is that sensation that lingers after you watch an exciting movie, and when it finally ends you come back to reality just to realize that life don't quite measure up. Well, that's what she was feeling at the moment. It was only 10:30 PM, not her usual bedtime. But today she felt like it was _way_ past time to turn in for the day.

She went through her bedtime regular routine: brushed her teeth, washed her face, applied some lotion on it, and went to bed. Sitting up in bed she put some other lotion in her hands, and kept rubbing one hand against the other for awhile. She was finished, so she looked down at the back of her hands and analyzed them for a moment. _Man, I ain't getting no younger. That's for sure._ She hit the bedside light and lay down, but she couldn't stop thinking about the day's events. Her talk with Luke was hard, but she felt somehow lighter. She wouldn't lie to herself, she was indeed sad about the fact that she would never know what could have been. She would never get to experience the life she once planned... with Luke. She would never have that. But, at least, they were friends. _That's a lot, I've always known that._ It was decided, tomorrow she would go back to Luke's for breakfast. _I sure miss his coffee... and the place altogether._

She tossed and turned in bed. She was tired but couldn't sleep. That's when she heard a tickling sound coming from the bedroom's window. She dismissed, it was probably just the wind. The rain had brought along with itself a chilly wind, and Lorelai just felt a breeze. So, she pulled the comforter closer to her body. Just then she heard the tickling sound again... and again. This time louder and stronger. She turned the bedside light back on, got up, and went to the window. She opened it and looked down. The cold breeze immediately hit her warm face welcoming her, and that made her shiver. She saw him standing down there in her front lawn, ready to throw the next little rock. Her heart skipped a bit. When he saw her he threw the little rock down. He waved. She closed the window, caught her robe that was lying on the small bedroom sofa and put in on, slipped on her sandals, and headed downstairs. _What could he possibly have to return to me now?_

She opened the front door, pulling the robe closer to her body to protect from the cool wind. He was standing right in front of the door.

"Wow! Twice in a day. Trying to break a record, or something?" she asked joking.

"Where's the, uh, box?" she added, looking around him searching for the item.

"Oh, no box this time. I was wondering... uh... Can I talk to you? Again, I mean," he asked, shifting his weight from one leg to another uncomfortably.

"Sure, uh, come on in," she said, taking a step sideways to let him through.

He entered, and she closed the door behind them. She made her way to the kitchen, and he instantly followed her. She went straight to the fridge and opened it inspecting its content. He just stood there looking nervous.

"Can I get you something? Water, expired milk, something that looks like it once was orange juice?" she asked, looking inside the fridge.

"No, thanks. I didn't wake you, did I? I was going to knock, but I was afraid you'd be already asleep 'cause the lights were all out, and I didn't want to disturb you, and all. So, I figured I'd throw the little rocks... if you were awake you'd hear it, and if you weren't, well, you'd stay that way," he babbled nervously.

"I was... I mean, uh, I wasn't asleep, yet. I was awake," she answered lamely, and also nervous.

"Good, good..." he mumbled, self conscious all of a sudden.

"Shall we seat?" she suggested, changing the subject and motioning to the table.

"This isn't a seated kind of talk, but you go ahead," he stated, and she took a seat.

"Ok, uh, I think it's best if I cut straight to the chase here," he said more to himself, really.

"Anyway, I was saying earlier that things change. But I don't actually believe that people really do... Change, I mean. Not about anything that really matters. But I also said that I do believe that we learn..." he tried.

"Yeah... I was there. I remember," she cut him off, she didn't need to hear his reasoning again.

"Can I finish, please?" he asked annoyed, to which she motioned 'go-ahead' with her right hand.

"As I was saying, I believe we learn. Even though we can't really change who we are, or how we react to things, you can really fight your instincts and act differently if we really want to. If we are _really_ willing to," he stopped to catch a breath, he had been pacing back and forth the kitchen the whole time.

"And I've been thinking... The last couple of hours I couldn't help but think non-stop, and then it hit me. I'm here to say that I've learned, Lorelai. I've learned from experience and..." he searched for the courage to say what he was about to say, as he looked straight into her big blue eyes.

"I'm not about to let you walk out of my life. Not again," he added in a steady and determined tone.

Lorelai's heart began to race. A rush of blood went straight up to her head, and that made she fell kinda dizzy. _Am I hearing that right?_ A slight smile graced her lips.

"Luke... I," she said, but he interrupted.

"I don't want to want _another_ second back. Do you?" he concluded expectantly.

He felt like he was standing before Lorelai with his heart on his hands. He felt so vulnerable, and so... out there. He used to hate that. Put himself in that state of vulnerability, in which he could get seriously hurt. But at least he was trying. He didn't do this before _those events_ happened, and look what happened. He got hurt anyway. She, on the other hand, was floored. She was never, _ever_ expecting this. She couldn't think clearly, this was all too much. All too much for her to handle. But then he sat down across her on the table, maybe he had gotten emotionally exhausted, she figured, and it was then that her eyes met his. His gentle eyes were fixed on hers, vulnerability showing like never before, and at that moment everything was crystal clear again. Everything fell into place, as cheesy as it may sounds.

"No... I don't," she answered frankly and softly.

They shared a moment, and Luke finally let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. Her eyes were teary, and if she didn't know him better, she could have sworn that his were, too. They sat in silence for awhile letting it all sink in, and adjusting to their new reality. Luke was the first to speak.

"You'll have to come to me when you're not happy about something I did, even if you think that'll be an unpleasant talk. You can't just keep all those feelings inside while you put on a happy face in front of me," he said honestly.

"I will," she replied firmly.

"I'll do my best to try to read you like before. Be more attentive to you, you know. But in case, just in case, I miss something..." he continued.

"I _will_ tell you," she reassured him.

"You'll have to let me in, be more open," she added honestly.

"I will," he mimicked her previous tone.

"You can't just take me for granted," she said.

"I _won't_," he was the one who reassured her this time.

A moment of silence took place again as both pondered about what was said.

"You know... this won't be easy," she handed smiling, and he nodded.

"But we're willing to try," he said smiling, and she nodded.

He looked down at her hand on the table, and he placed gently his on top of hers. They shared another look, and both got up slowly from the table. They walked towards each other, and stopped face to face. One knew exactly what the other was feeling and thinking. 'Cause the yearning, the longing, were written all over their faces. Their eyes engaged, but it all felt kinda awkward all of the sudden. So, they both grinned.

"Hi," he said gently, rubbing her arm softly.

"Hey," she replied in a low voice.

"This is stupid," he declared grinning.

"Yes, it is. We've done this before... successfully," she added grinning as well.

"I kissed you," he said in a deep, husky and sexy tone.

"I kissed you back," she completed in a flirtatious tone.

Just like that he wrapped his strong arms around her, and she already felt shivers running through her spine. He pulled her closer to him and leaned forward. Their lips collided into this intense kiss that started out gentle, and progressed into a hungrier and more passionate one. His hands started in her hair, and then they proceeded making their way down to her back, stopping there to trace gentle circles. Then they finally found their final destination at her hips. Lorelai felt weak on the knees, and for an instant she thought she would fall to the ground. Her hands rested around his neck, caressing the hair on the back of his head. They were both moaning as their tongues battled for dominion. Moments ago she feared that this first kiss of theirs would be awkward and uncomfortable due to lack of practice, but she was dead wrong. She found out that kissing Luke was just like riding a bike. They continued kissing until they could no longer be oxygen deprived, so, they broke it off for air. Luke noticed that Lorelai's eyes lingered closed for awhile after the kiss.

"Wow, Rhett! You sure weren't telling a lie when you said you knew how to kiss a woman properly," she said in a fake exaggerated southern accent.

"Oh, shut up," he replied rolling his eyes, but was unable to muffle a grin.

He pulled her in for a second go around. They started to kiss again when she suddenly broke apart.

"Something's... not right," she announced, heading out of the kitchen.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked concerned, following her.

She stopped at the foyer's closet, and opened it. He was a couple of steps behind her.

"Lorelai, what's wrong?" he asked again, looking anguished.

She went through the closet clearly looking for something, all he could hear was noise coming from her shifting of things. The noise stopped, and she finally turned around to him.

"Here!" she said happily, showing him his old blue baseball cap.

He let out a sigh of relief, to which she grinned.

"Way to scare a guy to death," he said, as she took the black cap off of his head, tossed it aside on the floor, and replaced it with the blue one.

She took a step back, and took a good look at him.

"Now _that's_ more likely! Now everything's right," she stated proudly, and he shook his head.

"I never liked that thing, anyway" she said, looking at the black cap on the floor with disdain.

"I need something from that box, too," he said heading for the closet.

She grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Oh, I know what you're looking for. It isn't there anymore," she said knowingly.

His faced expression turned to curious, and he shot her an inquiring look.

"I put it in my wallet this morning, after you dropped by the box. I needed to have it _with_ me, you know. But I'm astonished to behold its magical powers. I guess I wasn't lying when I told you that thing brings luck. Not even a day at my wallet, and look! It already brought me some... a lot. I think I'll keep it there, if you don't mind. I'm digging this luck odds, babe," she stated with a bright smile.

Luke smiled back, and adjusted the cap on his head with a smirk on his lips.

"Fits perfectly... I missed it," he said genuinely looking straight into her eyes, but they both knew he wasn't talking about _the cap_ anymore.

She nodded beaming at him. Then she pulled him in for a long, tight hug.

"This is nice," she said a while later smiling, and still holding on to him.

"Yes, it is," he replied, also smiling, and holding her even tighter.

**THE END**


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